Four-stroke internal-combustion engine



Oct. 6, 1953 A. SCHEITERLEIN FOUR-STROKE INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed March 15, 1951 INVENTOR. d fichemz r is Patented Oct. 6, 1953 TENT OFFICE FOUR- STROKE INTERNAL- COMBUSTION ENGINE Andreas Scheiterlein, Graz, Austria, assignor to Hans List, Graz, Austria Application March 15, 1951, Serial No. 215,707

In Austria March 21, 1950- 2 Claims.

The invention relates to a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine provided with a Roots-type blower and with cylinders arranged in one or several rows. The invention particularly relates to four-stroke supercharged diesel engines and provides special advantages in regard to output and performance. In known type supercharged engines, the charging blower is connected by pipe lines to the suction ducts of the various cylinders. This arrangement results in an irregular design with increased space requirements. Thus where the piping is disposed on the exterior of the engine, serious difliculties arise which will doubtlessly entail a throttling loss. Furthermore, in the majority of cases, a separate support will have to be provided for the blower. In centrifugal blowers of the type in which the cross-section of the discharge branch can be adapted to the cross-section of the line, these disadvantages will not be too serious.

However, in arrangements utilizing a Roots-type blower which is designed to have a lengthy outlet port, these disadvantages are of serious consequence.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for eifective utilization of the space in the engine block and to furthermore improve rigidity of the engine.

It is another object to provide a smooth symmetrical external shape by providing a superposed arrangement of air collecting space and cooling water collecting space.

Another object of the present invention is to eliminate these drawbacks that are inherent in engines with cylinders arranged in rows and provided with a Roots-type blower. Thus, the invention includes arranging the blower parallel to the crankshaft and directly connected to a wall of the engine block or frame with the outlet port of the blower in direct communication with a hollow space in the engine block or frame. This hollow space extends throughout substantially the entire length of the engine and the blower communicates therewith through an oblon opening in the frame wall, that extends longitudinally of .aid hollow space. Air passes from this hollow air collecting space through aperturns on the upper wall of the frame which in turn communicate with suction ducts or conduits in the cylinder head which are curved through arcs of about 180. Thus, a special support for the Roots-type blower is rendered superfluous and a compact space-saving design is attained. Bydispensing with the necessity for arranging any piping on the exterior of the engine the design of the engine frame or block may, to a high degree, be adapted to the conditions of flow of the Roots-type blower. By providing in the engine frame a collector or receiver that extends almost over the entire frame length, the air that issues from the Roots-type blower is effectively distributed over a lengthy outlet crosssection, thus rendering possible a favorable distribution of the air to the various cylinders withous provoking flow or current losses. Thus a uniform distribution of the air to the individual cylinders is obtained. A result that is unattainable in instances where air lines of unequal lengths are provided. This advantage is of preponderant importance particularly with elongated Roots-type blowers that extend throughout the greater part of the engine length.

According to the invention an oblong cooling water space, likewise extending over almost the entire engine length and utilized for feeding the cooling water to the water jackets of the cylinders, is arranged below the lengthy hollow collecting space to which the blower is connected. If the engine frame is already so designed as to accommodate the oblong or elongated air receiver the accommodation of that lengthy cooling water space does not present any difiiculties whatsoever as the shape of the engine frame permits of harmoniously housing the cooling water space therewithin. The advantages of this arrangement of the cooling water space reside in the uniform admission of the cooling water to all cylinders of the engine.

In case of engines with inverted valves, that is overhead valves, to which the invention refers,

it is customary to provide in the engine frame and along one longitudinal side of one row of cylinders a hollow space for housing the timing ear and the push-rods for the valves. In particular, in single row or in line engines the lengthy air receiver may be arranged in the block in symmetry with the lengthy air receiver on the opposite side of the row of cylinders so that the shape of the frame which results there from is almost symmetrical. In V-type engines the Roots-type blower may be attached by flanges to a horizontal wall provided between the cylinder rows approximately at the level of the cylinder heads, whereby the lengthy air collector or receiver is lodged in the space within the angle between the cylinder rows which is closed at its top by the horizontal frame wall that carries the Roots-type blower.

Further and more specific objects will be apparent from the following specification taken 3 in connection with the accompanying drawings,

Which:

Fig. 1 illustrates a cross-section through the frame and one cylinder of a four-stroke, single row in line diesel engine, and

Fig. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the invention in a cross-section through the frame and two cylinders of a four-stroke, V'-'type diesel engine.

According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 a Roots-type blower 2 includes flanges directly connected to the side wall of the engine frame or block I of a single-row diesel engine. The delivery side 3 of the blower being adjacent to the engine frame and being in communication through a port 4, provided in the engine frame wall, with a hollow air collecting space '5 accommodated in the engine frame or block and extending throughout the block along at least substantially the entire row of cylinders. The blower 2 and the port 4 may extend over the entire length of the row of cylinders and the hollow space 5 or only over a part of same. The top of the engine frame is provided with apertures 6 through which the air delivered by the rotary blower 2 after passing the receiver 5 is forced through the individual arcuate suction ducts I. The suction ducts or conduits are curved through approximately 180, conduct the air through the inverted overhead valves 8 into the engine cylinders and lie substantially within the water receiving space of the cylinder head l4.

Opposite to the hollow space 5 and approximately symmetrically therewith a hollow space 9 is provided in the engine frame for housing the push-rods for the valves. This arrangement provides an approximately symmetrical shape to the frame or block, with the blower 2 directly flanged to the frame or block and harmoniously accommodated in the assembly.

Below the hollow space 5 is a lengthy coolin water space H that also extends throughout substantially the entire length of the engine. This cooling water space 5 is directly fed with cooling water from the radiator or the water pump. and is so designed as to distribute the cooling water through the apertures 12 to the cooling water jackets 13 of the individual cylinders from whence the water is circulated through the cooling water spaces of the cylinder head l4. Thus, the arrangement of the hollow space 5 in this fashion provides uniform cooling to all the cylinders, with the space 5 located within the engine frame and thereby not adversely influencing the smooth and harmonious external pe of the engine.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 2 the space within the V-angle formed by the cylinder rows, is closed by a frame Wall I5 constituting the top wall of the block. In this manner a hollow air collecting space 5 is provided within the upper part of the V-angle between the rows of cylinders. The space 5' is subjacent a Rootstype blower .2 and in communication with the same through an opening 4. The air collecting space 5' also extends throughout the block along at least substantially the entire length of the rows of cylinders. The air for combustion passes from the hollow space 5' through the arcuate suction ducts 1 accommodated in the cylinder heads I4 and thence into the cylinders. Beneath the air collecting space 5' is a cooling water chamber l I I2 into the water jackets I3 that surround the cylinders.

It is therefore clear that this invention provides in a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine including at least one row of cylinders an engine block including side walls and a top wall. The cylinders are arranged within the block in spaced relation with respect to the side walls. At least one hollow water receiving cylinder head is provided on the block and a water jacket is around the cylinders and spaced from the side walls of the block. Cylinder valves are provided in the head and the valve push rods are arranged in the space between one side wall of the block and the water jacket. The space between theside of "the water jacket opposite the push rod being uninterrupted and extending throughout the block along at least substantially the entire length of the row of cylinders to provide an air collecting space. At least a portion of one wall of the block constituting the outer limiting wall of this air collecting space. Means including spaced superposed webs are arranged subjacent this air collecting space and define a water collecting chamber that extends over the entire row of cylinders. The water jacket constitutes at least one wall of this water collecting chamber and apertures are provided therein so that Water can pass in communication between the water collecting chamber and the jacket. The division plane between the cylinder head and the upper extremity of the cylinders delimits the upper extremity of the air collecting space at least in the axial direction of the cylinders. The head and the block have sets of coinciding apertures corresponding in number to the number of cylinders that provide communication with the air collecting space. Arcuate conduits that are curved to approximately lie substantially entirely within the water receiving space of the cylinder head and provide communication between the sets of apertures and each cylinder. The aforementioned values operably control passage through these arcuate conduits. The outer limiting wall of the air collecting space has an elongated slot therein and an elongated Roots-blower, that includes flanges overlying the slot with the flanges connected to the outer limiting wall on the opposite sides of the slot, supplies air in such fashion that all air discharged by the blower passes through the slot, thence through the air collecting space, to the conduits and thus to the cylinders.

Specifically the invention as embodied in a V-type engine including plural rows of cylinders, is constituted by the arragement of the top wall of the block in such fashion as to include a portion that extends between the rows of cylinders with this top Wall constituting the outer delimiting wall of air collecting space and the air collecting space lying within the upper part of the V comprised between the rows of cylinders. In this arrangement the aforementioned superposed webs that define the water chamber extend throughout the block adjacent the lower portion of the cylinders and lie within the lower part of the V comprised between the rows of cylinders and underlie the entire extent of said air collecting space.

It therefore follows that with the air collecting space and water collecting space arranged one above the other, the external shape of the engine is simplified. In the arrangement of Fig. l a smooth symmetrical relationship is attained and in the .arrangement of Fig. 2 the total space between the rows of cylinders is effectively utilized. With the upper limiting wall of the air collecting space located in the division plane between the cylinder and the cylinder head, the joint surface of the cylinder head and the joint surfaces of the air inlet conduits lie in a common plane and therefore may be worked upon at the cylinder head and at the block in one operation. Thus it is possible to simply provide, in the upper limiting wall of the air collecting space, apertures to which the suction conduits are connected. In this manner the largest possible space is utilized as an air collecting space and it thereby becomes possible to arrange the water collecting chamber beneath the air collecting space and extend the same throughout the entire length of the row or rows of cylinders. From this water collecting chamber all cooling jackets for the respective cylinders are uniformly supplied with water. Furthermore, with both the air and water collecting chambers extending throughout the length of the row of cylinders the walls bounding these chambers constitute reinforcements for the engine and enhance the rigidity of the block, particularly as regards elongated engines.

I claim:

1. A four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine including at least one row of cylinders comprising an engine block including side walls and a top wall, cylinders therewithin and in spaced relation with respect to said side walls, at least one hollow water-receiving cylinder head on said block, a water jacket around the cylinders and spaced from the side walls of the block, cylinder valves in said head and valve push rods arranged in the space between one side wall of the block and the water jacket, the space on the side of the water jacket opposite the push rods being uninterrupted and extending throughout the block along at least substantially the entire length of the row of cylinders and constituting an air collecting space, at least a portion of one wall of the block being the outer limiting wall of said space, means including spaced superposed webs subjacent said air collecting space defining a water 001- lecting chamber extending over the entire row of cylinders, said water jacket constituting at least one wall of said chamber and having apertures therein providing communication between the chamber and the jacket, the division plane bea tween the cylinder head and the upper extremity of the cylinders delimiting the upper extremity of said air collecting space at least in the axial direction of the cylinders, said head and block havin sets of coinciding apertures therein corresponding in number to the number of cylinders providing communication with the air collecting space, arcuate conduits curved through approximately lying substantially entirely within the water-receiving space of the cylinder head and providing communication between the sets of apertures and each cylinder, the said valves operatively controlling air passage through said conduits, the outer limiting wall of said air collecting space having an elongated slot therein and an elongated Roots-type blower having an outlet port and including flanges adjacent said port and overlying said slot with the flanges connected to the said outer limiting wall on opposite sides of the slot.

2. A four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine as defined in and by claim 1, including plural rows of cylinders arranged in the block in V- shaped relation, said top wall of the block including a portion extending between the rows of cylinders and constituting the outer delimiting wall of the air collecting space, said air collecting space lying within the upper part of the V comprised between the rows of cylinders, said superposed webs defining the water chamber extending throughout the block adjacent the low-er portion of the cylinders and lying within the lower part of the V comprised between the rows of cylinders and underlying the entire extent of said air collecting space.

ANDREAS SC'HEITERLEIN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,396,890 Short Nov. 15, 1921 2,057,062 Schneider Oct. 13, 1936 2,099,852 Knudsen Nov. 23, 1937 2,113,077 Biichi Apr. 5, 1938 2,142,210 Rippingille Jan. 3, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 251,547 Great Britain May 6, 1926 

